Department for Transport

Flybe: Insolvency

Lord Weir of Ballyholme: To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the impact of Flybe entering into administration on air travel between Northern Ireland and Great Britain; and what steps they are taking to mitigate any impact.

Baroness Vere of Norbiton: The Government recognises that this will be a difficult time for Flybe’s passengers and staff. Our immediate priority has been to support people travelling home and employees who have lost their jobs. We are working closely with regional airports to understand the impacts on their businesses and local jobs. Connectivity between Northern Ireland and Great Britain is currently very strong and has largely recovered to 2019 levels. This includes a number of competing services between Belfast and London, the Public Service Obligation (PSO) from Derry / Londonderry to London, and routes from Northern Ireland to several cities throughout Great Britain.

Bicycles: Theft

Lord Berkeley: To ask His Majesty's Government what progress they have made in reducing cycle theft, as set out in their policy paperGear Change: A bold vision for cycling and walking, published on 27 July 2020.

Lord Berkeley: To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the (1) costs, and (2) benefits, of creating a DVLA-style database of cycles in the UK in order to deter the market for stolen bicycles.

Baroness Vere of Norbiton: The Department has not made a formal assessment of the costs and benefits of a national DVLA-style database for cycles. Active Travel England is working with Sustrans, the British Transport Police and other stakeholders to develop a single system which aggregates the data from all existing registration systems to make it easier for the police to trace the owners of stolen cycles. As recommended in Gear Change, the provision of secure cycle parking is eligible for funding under the Active Travel Fund. The Department is working with the police-led National Cycle Crime Group to support regional cycle crime enforcement partnerships and raise awareness of better security.

Department of Health and Social Care

Hospital Wards: Gender

Lord Blencathra: To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have to publish revised guidance on biologically male patients who identify as female being allocated places on wards intended solely for biologically female patients.

Lord Markham: NHS England will be publishing its revised guidance on same-sex hospital accommodation in due course.

Hospitals: Discharges

Lord Warner: To ask His Majesty's Government which financial year or years the additional £250 million announced on 9 January 2023 to speed up hospital discharges relate to; whether this is additional funding or a reallocation of existing budgets; and whether some of the £250 million will be spent on adult social care provided by local government.

Lord Markham: The £50 million capital funding announced on 9 January 2023 is a reallocation within the Department’s 2022/23 budget where some underspends have emerged in-year. The funding can be used to provide expanded spaces that can handle larger volumes of patients, for example to expand hospital discharge lounges and ambulance hubs. NHS England has worked with local areas and trusts to identify where the investments are deliverable in this financial year, have the best impact, and fit with their existing estate. The funding will be provided to the individual trusts through issuing public dividend capital. The £200 million discharge funding announced on 9 January 2023 will provide short-term National Health Service step-down care packages to help ease the pressure on hospital beds. It will be for the local NHS trust to determine the most clinically appropriate settings for community-based care. The funding is held centrally by NHS England and allocated to integrated care boards (ICBs) and has been taken from the Department’s existing 2022/23 budget. ICBs lead on the procurement and purchasing of this additional capacity, working closely with local authorities, in line with local need.

Social Services

Lord Warner: To ask His Majesty's Government whatis the latest information they have, by financial year, on (1) adult social care providers handing back contracts to local authorities, (2) the number of new residential and nursing home care providers being registered, (3) the rise or fall in the registration of new home care providers, and (4) the number of people waiting to be assessed for adult social care.

Lord Markham: The commissioning of care and support services is a matter for local authorities. The Department does not have oversight of contract hand backs, with local authorities being used to manage entry and exit of care providers in the market and having appropriate plans in place to minimise any disruption to services.The Care Quality Commission notes that from financial years 2017/18 to 2022/23, there was a net overall increase of 79,081 beds. 4,151 care homes were registered in this period, with 3,126 care homes unregistered, leading to a net increase of 1,025 care homes. 8,764 home care providers were registered in the same period, with 3,640 home care providers unregistered, meaning a net increase of 5,124 home care providers.The Department does not hold adult social care assessment data centrally.

Department for Education

Young People: Vocational Guidance

Lord Taylor of Warwick: To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking toimprove the careers information, advice and guidance available to young people.

Baroness Barran: High quality careers education helps to prepare young people for the workplace by providing a clear understanding of the world of work, including the routes to jobs and careers that they might find engaging and rewarding.The department is investing £30 million to support the improvement of careers programmes for young people across educational settings.The department promotes the adoption of the eight Gatsby Benchmarks of Good Career Guidance as a careers framework based on rigorous national and international research. Over 4,200 schools and colleges are using the Benchmarks to develop and improve their careers programmes.The department is working with the Careers & Enterprise Company to complete the national rollout of the careers infrastructure, ensuring that every secondary school and college in England has access to a Careers Hub, digital support, Careers Leader training and the Enterprise Advisor Network. By October 2022, 4,500 (90%) of schools and colleges in England were part of a Careers Hub. Over 2,170 Careers Leaders have been trained since training was launched in September 2018. In addition, around 3,416 schools and colleges are partnered with an Enterprise Adviser, a senior business volunteer, with schools and colleges to develop their careers strategies and employer engagement plans.The department also funds the Apprenticeship Support and Knowledge programme, which provides information, advice and guidance to young people in year 10 to 13 in schools, and further education colleges. At a cost of £3.2 million per year, the programme had a reach of 680,000 young people in academic year 21/22, and over 2,000 schools. It supports young people, parents, carers and teachers into understanding and applying for apprenticeships, T Levels, and Traineeships.This year, the department has launched a new £2.6 million careers programme that will inspire primary school children about the world of work. The programme will support over 600,000 pupils in over 2,200 primary schools, located across all 55 of the government’s Education Investment Areas. The programme will encourage primary school pupils to think about future jobs from a young age, whilst nurturing their aspirations and challenging stereotypes. In January this year, legislation came into force that means all pupils have the opportunity for six encounters with providers of approved technical education qualifications and apprenticeships during school years 8 to 13. This will ensure that every pupil, whatever their ambitions, has the opportunity to explore what it is like to learn at the full range of providers.The National Careers Service also provides free careers information, advice and guidance to young people aged 13+ and adults through a website and telephone helpline.

Schools: Standards

Baroness Valentine: To ask His Majesty's Government when the funding for Priority Education Investment Areas will be announced.

Baroness Barran: The Schools White Paper: Opportunity for all, published in March 2022, announced that Priority Education Investment Areas will receive a share of around £40 million of funding to address local needs.The department will publish the distribution of funding in due course.

Universities: Admissions

Lord Patten: To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made, if any, of barriers for young white males from poorer backgrounds in securing places at university.

Baroness Barran: Access to higher education (HE) should be based on a student’s attainment and their ability to succeed, rather than background.In November 2021, the department issued guidance to the Office for Students (OfS), asking it to refocus the access and participation regime to create a system that supports young people from disadvantaged backgrounds throughout their education. This includes white working-class boys who continue to see lower entry rates than students from other ethnic groups, and from higher income households.The OfS is working closely with providers to ensure a focus on delivering social justice by making getting on at university as important as getting in, and specifically on activities which have a direct impact on student attainment. Providers are also being encouraged to offer a greater array of pathways into HE, including more vocational and technical courses, and degree apprenticeships, so that more students can identify opportunities that match career ambitions, and so that employers can access the skills they need.A large number of HE providers have drafted variations to their current access and participation plans to be implemented from September 2023. This will be followed by a full rewrite of their plans in line with these new priorities.

Children in Care

Baroness Lister of Burtersett: To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the report by the charity Become Home for Christmas, published on 2 January; and in particular, the finding that, on average, 150 children in the care system in England were moved each day in 2021–22.

Baroness Lister of Burtersett: To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the impact of multiple placement moves on the well-being and mental health of children in the care system in England.

Baroness Barran: All placement decisions are subject to the duty set out in Section 22(3) of the Children’s Act 1989, which requires the placement decision to be the most appropriate way to safeguard and promote the child’s welfare. The welfare of children must always be paramount and local authorities have a duty to safeguard all children in their care. When the difficult decision is made to change a child’s placement, it must be in the best interest of the child. The department believes that social workers and the courts are best placed to make decisions for vulnerable children, in consideration of all the factors involved in often complex cases. Every child should experience a stable and loving home during their time in care. Recognising the urgency of action in placement sufficiency, the department is prioritising working with local authorities to recruit more foster carers. This will include pathfinder local recruitment campaigns that build towards a national programme to help ensure those carers approved are the right match for children coming into care, and children have access to the right placements at the right time, including supporting those children who have suffered complex trauma. Figures on the number of looked after children who moved more than once (three or more placements during the year) were published for the year ending 31 March 2018 to the year ending 31 March 2022 in the table ‘CLA on 31 March with three or more placements during the year – LA’ in the annual statistical release ‘Children looked after in England, including adoptions, 2022’. The table can be accessed here: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/data-tables/fast-track/53b32118-528e-4015-777b-08dab100bfc2.

Schools: Artificial Intelligence

Lord Baker of Dorking: To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the potential effects of technology such as ChatGPT on school teaching and homework.

Lord Baker of Dorking: To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the potential effects of technology such as ChatGPT on the assessment of students.

Lord Baker of Dorking: To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the potential effects of technology such as ChatGPT on the teaching and assessment of students in (1) Further Education, and (2) universities.

Lord Baker of Dorking: To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the potential effects of technology such as ChatGPT on examinations in England where studentsare permitted access to books.

Baroness Barran: The department is assessing the risks and opportunities of recent developments in large language models. The new technology has the potential to improve access and outcomes across the education system.The department will continue to work with the Office for Students, the Office for AI, and Ofqual to build our understanding and inform future plans.Schools, colleges and universities have policies in place to identify and respond to cheating in assessment. The department expects schools and colleges to ensure the integrity of their assessment processes and take action if any student is found to be cheating.Schools, colleges and universities are best placed to decide what technology they need to meet their requirements in relation to their educational contexts.The department will keep its programme of measures under review to ensure the best means in addressing the risks and opportunities AI presents are identified, including continuing to establish a strong evidence base for technology in education.

Ministry of Justice

Reoffenders

Lord Bradley: To ask His Majesty's Government how many people serving a life sentence have absconded from an open prison and have then been convicted of (1) a serious further offence, or (2) any further offence, while unlawfully at large in each of the last 10 years.

Lord Bradley: To ask His Majesty's Government how many people serving a sentence of Imprisonment for Public Protection (IPP) have absconded from an open prison and have been convicted of (1) a serious further offence, or (2) any further offence, while unlawfully at large in each of the last 10 years.

Lord Bellamy: We are unable to answer these questions within cost limits as the required detail is not within the prison NOMIS system. To obtain a robust estimate would require manually linking each incident to a prisoner, checking police records for all prisoners in scope, extracting and reporting on their criminal history and then linking to an additional database to identify seriousness of offence.Data on absconds is published annually in the HMPPS annual digest. The latest version can be accessed via the following link: HMPPS Annual Digest, April 2021 to March 2022 - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk).Public protection is our top priority. When a prisoner absconds, police are immediately notified and are responsible for locating the offender. The majority of absconders are quickly recaptured and returned to custody.Those who abscond face serious consequences, including being returned to closed prison conditions where they may serve up to two additional years on conviction. Prisoners subject to parole decisions will likely face longer before they are released.

Law Commission

Lord Anderson of Ipswich: To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they have taken to prepare and lay before Parliament the annual reports, required by section 3A of the Law Commissions Act 1965, on the extent to which Law Commission recommendations were implemented for the reporting years (1) 2018–19, (2) 2019–20, (3) 2020–21, (4) 2021–22, and (5) 2022–23.

Lord Bellamy: A draft of the Government’s report on the implementation of Law Commission recommendations is currently being prepared and is expected to be laid before Parliament as soon as practicable this year. It will provide an update on the implementation status of all relevant Law Commission recommendations since the report was last published in 2018.

Ministry of Defence

Royal Marines Reserve: Officers

Lord De Mauley: To ask His Majesty's Government how many Royal Marines Reserves commissioned officers there currently are on strength who are (1) aged under 30, and (2) aged 30 to 34.

Baroness Goldie: As of 1 October 2022, there were eleven Royal Marines Reserve Commissioned Officers in the 30-34 age group and none aged under 30.

Armed Forces: Private Education

Baroness Taylor of Bolton: To ask His Majesty's Government which schools have received some funding through the Continuity of Education Allowance programme in each of the last 10 years; in which years they received such funding; and in each year, how much funding was received by each school.

Baroness Goldie: The attached excel spreadsheet contains a table which details the schools which have received funding under Continuity of Education Allowance (CEA) payments made by the Ministry of Defence, how much and for which financial year, for the last ten financial years.Continuity of Education Allowance (CEA) payments (xlsx, 78.6KB)

Armed Forces: Private Education

Baroness Taylor of Bolton: To ask His Majesty's Government how much money they have spent on the Continuity of Education Allowance programme in each of the last 10 years; and how many children of those families have benefitted from that programme.

Baroness Taylor of Bolton: To ask His Majesty's Government how much money they have spent on the Continuity of Education Allowance programme in respect of the families of Ministry of Defence employed staff in each of the last 10 years; and how many children have benefitted from that programme.

Baroness Goldie: The below table details the number of children supported and the amount spent on the Continuity of Education Allowance (CEA) by the Ministry of Defence in the last ten financial years. Financial YearNumber of ChildrenNumber of Service PersonnelTotal Spend2012-137,3574,951£98.82 million2013-146,3104,300£89.25 million2014-155,8033,880£84.51 million2015-165,5163,671£80.86 million2016-175,2733,486£103.45 million2017-184,5503,075£79.79 million2018-194,6093,048£80.22 million2019-204,4302,982£83.23 million2020-214,3072,901£79.58 million2021-224,3242,897£83.25 million

Ukraine: Challenger Tanks

Lord De Mauley: To ask His Majesty's Government, following the decision to send Challenger 2 tanks to Ukraine, how many weeks have been allocated to training prospective Ukrainian commanders of those tanks.

Baroness Goldie: Five weeks have been allocated to train prospective Ukrainian commanders of Challenger 2 tanks. In addition to tank commanders, we are also delivering training packages in similar timeframes for other roles, including drivers, gunners and maintainers.

Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

Bovine Tuberculosis: Disease Control

Baroness Jones of Moulsecoomb: To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of (1) the report by the Animal and Plant Health AgencyYear End Descriptive Epidemiology Report: Bovine TV in the Edge Area of England 2021, County: Hampshire, published on 7 October 2022 and updated on 28 November 2022, and (2) the implications for their policy on the timing of the badger cull in Hampshire; and what steps they will take to end the badger cull in that county as a result of the findings in that report that "badgers only accounted for 11 per cent of weighted risk pathways".

Lord Benyon: We are committed to achieving official freedom from Bovine TB for England by 2038 and intensive badger culling in areas where badgers are an important factor in spreading disease to cattle has been an important part of this. The badger cull has led to a significant reduction of bTB in cattle herds, with research showing a 66% and 37% reduction of new herd breakdowns in the first two cull areas. Defra has published analysis by APHA on where in Edge Area counties, such as Hampshire, there is considered to be a local reservoir of infection. This analysis includes data from previous badger found dead surveys alongside information on cattle breakdowns and other sources: Bovine TB: local reservoirs of Mycobacterium bovis infection in the Edge Area of England - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk). Badger culls are licensed by the licensing authority Natural England (NE) who take local reservoirs into account. NE licensed the final intensive cull areas last year, and Government is gradually building government-supported badger vaccination and surveillance. Badger culling would remain an option where epidemiological assessment indicates that it is needed.Bovine TB: local reservoirs... (pdf, 2137.7KB)

Rain: East of England

Baroness Kennedy of Cradley: To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of (1) the level of rainfall in eastern England, and (2) the challenge it poses for food production.

Lord Benyon: Rainfall in the East of England has been 115% of the long-term average over the period October 2022 to January 2023. However, rainfall from December to January has been slightly below average at around 93%, with significantly drier weather since mid-January.The Government is aware that the prolonged period of hot dry weather last summer had an impact on yield, growth and quality of horticultural crops in many parts of the country but did not have a significant impact on the other food sectors. We continue to keep weather situations and any impact on our agri-food sectors under close review, including through the UK Agriculture Market Monitoring Group (UKAMMG), which was set up by Defra and the Devolved Administrations to monitor the UK market situation across all key agricultural commodities whilst also considering that the situation will vary by region, area, crop and soil type. We have also increased engagement with our valued industry colleagues to supplement Government analysis with real-time intelligence.The Environment Agency (EA) is working with agricultural organisations, including members of the National Drought Group (NDG), which is contributing to understanding the risks for agricultural production and agreeing actions to reduce these impacts. This includes consideration of local proposals for an extension to the reservoir refill season beyond March 2023 (where the environment and other water users would be unaffected). The EA will be publishing its initial irrigation prospects at the end of February.

Food: Supply Chains

Baroness Kennedy of Cradley: To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to ensure supply chain fairness in the food sector from farm to supermarket.

Lord Benyon: The Government wants all farmers to receive a fair price for their products and the Government is committed to tackling any contractual unfairness that might exist in the agri-food supply chain. Powers contained in the Agriculture Act 2020 enable us to introduce statutory codes of contractual practice which would apply to processors and other businesses when purchasing agricultural products directly from farmers. We intend to use these powers in a targeted way where there is clear evidence of unfair practices in specific agricultural sectors and statutory codes will help address the issues. In 2020, the Government carried out a consultation seeking views from farmers and processors in the dairy sector on whether future regulation could be used to strengthen fairness and transparency in the supply chain to ensure farmers are treated fairly. It was clear from responses that a minimum framework of contractual standards was required, which provides businesses with the flexibility to respond to changing market conditions while also offering improved protections for farmers. We continue to work closely with stakeholders during the development of regulations and intend to introduce legislation later this year. A subsequent consultation was conducted between July and October 2022 exploring issues in the pig sector. We are analysing the responses and considering appropriate next steps. A Summary of Responses, which will outline the main findings and conclusions from the consultation, will be published in early 2023.The Government will continue to work closely with all sectors to discuss any supply chain issues.

Water Companies: Directors

Lord Sikka: To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have to authorise OFWAT (1) to levy personal fines, and (2) to bring criminal prosecutions, against directors of water companies responsible for discharging raw sewage in rivers and seas above the statutory limits.

Lord Benyon: Ofwat’s direct enforcement powers and sanctions are primarily focused on the regulated business. However, Ofwat is incentivising the link between performance and compliance and the role of individual company staff, which can deter poor performance or non-compliance. For example, under the Environment Bill we gave Ofwat increased powers to modify water company licence conditions under the Environment Act. Ofwat are now consulting on using these powers which will enable them to take enforcement action against companies that don’t link dividend payments to their environmental performance, or those failing to be transparent about their dividend pay-outs.As the environmental regulator, the Environment Agency can and does prosecute company directors and other senior officers where the necessary evidence can be obtained to meet that test. As set out in Reg 41 Environmental Permitting Regulations 2016, the courts already have powers to fine directors and other officers of companies which are convicted of polluting rivers and coastal waters, where it can be proved that the offence has been committed with the consent or connivance of such officer or attributable to their neglect.Ofwat, as the independent economic regulator, protects the interests of consumers by ensuring water companies properly carry out their statutory functions, including their environmental responsibilities. They will not hesitate to take enforcement action where these duties are breached.For instance, in 2019, Ofwat imposed a penalty package on Southern Water of £126 million for spills of wastewater into the environment from its sewerage plants and for deliberately misreporting its performance.

Black-grass

Baroness Kennedy of Cradley: To ask His Majesty's Government what support they are providing to(1) farmers, and (2) growers, to tackle the problem of blackgrass in England and the resultant loss of wheat yield.

Lord Benyon: Defra supports farmers and growers to tackle pests, diseases and weeds (such as blackgrass) by encouraging the uptake of integrated pest management (IPM). IPM approaches can reduce the risk of pesticide resistance by diversifying the tools used. From this year, the Sustainable Farming Incentive scheme will provide payments to farmers who incorporate IPM actions into their farming practices. Our proposals to further support the uptake of IPM will be detailed in our National Action Plan on the Sustainable Use of Pesticides to be published this year. Through the Farming innovation Programme and other R&D programmes, Defra has also supported projects to develop sustainable methods for the treatment of blackgrass, to provide an alternative method of husbandry to spraying with herbicides. The projects have focused on the development of environmentally sensitive mechanical weed control systems for use across arable farms in the UK. Innovations like this will continue to optimise crop production and longer-term soil quality.

Birds: Conservation

Lord Robathan: To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer byLord Benyon on 9 January (HL4498), what consideration they have given to including swift bricks as a biodiversity net gain in the schedule of the Environment Act 2021.

Lord Benyon: The Government has consulted on the detail of implementation and secondary legislation for mandatory biodiversity net gain in the Environment Act, and the response will be published in due course. The mandatory approach will be based on a biodiversity metric which assesses biodiversity using habitats. Species-based features such as bird and bat boxes are not included within the metric; instead it focuses on the habitats such species need to forage and complete their life cycles. Planning Practice Guidance published to help implement planning policy makes clear that relatively small features can often achieve important benefits for wildlife, with incorporating ‘swift bricks’ in developments in particular highlighted as an option. Specific biodiversity features, such as swift bricks, would normally be required for developments through either the relevant local plan or through the local authority’s development control team.

Water Companies: Directors

Lord Sikka: To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have to introduce legislation to give customers of water companies a statutory right to vote on remuneration paid to their directors.

Lord Benyon: While the Government has no plans to introduce new legislation at this time, we are supporting Ofwat’s current work to strengthen its powers over executive pay. The options Ofwat is exploring include making shareholders and not customers pay for bonuses going forward, where companies are unable to demonstrate their decisions reflect Ofwat's expectations, including on overall performance. This is set out in Ofwat’s Final Methodology for PR24 published in December.

Food: Imports

Lord Inglewood: To ask His Majesty's Government howthey intend to enforce their policy that food produced to lower environmental and welfare standards outside the UK will not be placed on the UK market, despite being allowed tariff-free access to the country.

Lord Benyon: The UK is a world leader on environmental and animal welfare standards. Environmental and animal welfare considerations continue to be central to our approach to agricultural trade in line with our clear manifesto commitment that the UK's high environmental protection, animal welfare and food standards will not be compromised by our trade negotiations.

Farms: Biodiversity

Baroness Kennedy of Cradley: To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have to support Biodiversity Net Gain (BNG) in farmland in England.

Lord Benyon: The off-site BNG market represents a significant opportunity for land owners and tenants in England to diversify income whilst contributing to nature recovery. Analysis commissioned by Defra and completed by Eftec in 2021 estimates that the market for off-site units to be worth £135 million-£274 million annually. Defra officials have been engaging with the farming community, including individual farmers and representative bodies, to understand their concerns, questions and suggestions, with regard to taking part in the off-site market. Officials also ran a landowner guidance workshop in December 2022, which included significant farmer representation from different parts of England. This extensive engagement has been used to inform several guidance products, directed at all landowners and managers, including farm owners and tenants:Guidance on how to take part in the off-site market – including considerations for how to price units, responsibilities and risks – due to be released imminentlyGuidance on combining BNG with other ecosystems service payments, grants and agri-environmental schemes (including ELMs) – also due to be released imminentlyGuidance on executing BNG, including on identifying suitable habitat for the land, conservation covenants and monitoring and evaluation - due by summer 2023 The Government has also committed to invest £30 million into the forthcoming Big Nature Impact Fund – a new blended finance fund for nature which will unlock significant private investment into nature projects, including habitat banks to support BNG.

Fertilisers

Baroness Kennedy of Cradley: To ask His Majesty's Government what recent assessment they have made ofthe use of Controlled Release Fertilisers (CRFs) to optimise crop yield.

Lord Benyon: Controlled release fertilisers are increasingly being adopted by farmers as they have the potential to increase efficiency, and reduce the environmental footprint of UK agricultural systems, thereby helping to achieve UK Government policy objectives.In order to review evidence and make recommendations for options to best enable safe and effective use of Enhanced Efficiency Fertilisers, Defra commissioned research, including a rapid evidence review which considered the impacts of control release fertilisers on crop productivity and quality.The results from the rapid evidence review will be published later this year.

Home Office

Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps

Baroness Deech: To ask His Majesty's Government what consideration they have given to proscribing theIranian Revolutionary Guard Corps as a terrorist organisation.

Lord Sharpe of Epsom: While the UK Government keeps the list of proscribed organisations under review, we do not routinely comment on whether an organisation is or is not being considered for proscription.The UK Government has long been clear about our concerns over the malign activity of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC). The UK maintains sanctions on over 300 Iranian individuals and entities covering human rights abuses, nuclear proliferation and terrorism. The Government has also imposed sanctions on the IRGC in its entirety and on several senior security and political figures in Iran, including senior commanders within the IRGC and its Basij force. The Government will continue to hold Iran and the IRGC to account.

Proscribed Organisations

Lord Marlesford: To ask His Majesty's Government which bodies are currently proscribed as terrorist organisations.

Lord Sharpe of Epsom: The list of proscribed organisations is publicly available at the following link: Proscribed terrorist groups or organisations - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)

East German Ministry for State Security: Informers

Lord Swire: To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have to publish the names of all those in the UK who were listed as agents or informers of the former German Democratic Republic Ministry of State Security (Stasi).

Lord Sharpe of Epsom: It is a longstanding principle that the Government will neither confirm nor deny allegations, assertions or speculation about UK intelligence agencies’ operations. Confirming or denying sensitive details about their work could reveal methods and techniques, undermining their ability to keep the country safe.

Corruption

Lord Leong: To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the reasons for the UK's drop to 18th place in the global rankings of Transparency International's Corruption Perception Index.

Lord Sharpe of Epsom: The Government is committed to tackling corruption. Our Anti-Corruption Strategy 2017 - 2022 provides a framework to guide government anti-corruption policies and actions. As we finalise an updated Strategy we are reviewing and consulting on priority areas for UK action.The Joint Anti-Corruption Unit (JACU), is a cross-Whitehall unit that sits in the Home Office.

Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps

Lord Jackson of Peterborough: To ask His Majesty's Government whether they plan to proscribe the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps as a terrorist organisation; and if so, when.

Lord Sharpe of Epsom: While the UK Government keeps the list of proscribed organisations under review, we do not routinely comment on whether an organisation is or is not being considered for proscription.

Bicycles: Theft

Lord Berkeley: To ask His Majesty's Government how many (1) bicycles were reported as stolen, and (2) people were prosecuted for cycle theft, in each of the last five years.

Lord Sharpe of Epsom: The Home Office collects and publishes official statistics on the number of bicycle theft offences and their investigative outcomes reported to and recorded by the police in England and Wales, on a quarterly basis.These can be accessed here:https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/police-recorded-crime-open-data-tablesThe Ministry of Justice collects and publishes information on prosecutions as part of the outcomes by offence data tool.This can be accessed here:https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/criminal-justice-system-statistics-quarterly-june-2022.

Sexual Offences: Gender

Lord Blencathra: To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they will take to ensure that police forces record the gender of a suspected perpetrator of a sexual assault as “male” if they possess male genitalia, regardless of their preferred gender identity.

Lord Sharpe of Epsom: The Home office has asked all police forces in England and Wales to adopt the approach used in the 2021 Census for England and Wales to the recording of sex and gender identity. This seeks that the sex of both victims and perpetrators of crime should be recorded as legally recognised with self-reported gender identity to be separately recorded if it differs from their sex.

Hillsborough Families' Experiences Review

Lord Pendry: To ask His Majesty's Government why they have not yet formally responded to the recommendations in the report by theRight Reverend James Jones The patronising disposition of unaccountable power: A report to ensure the pain and suffering of the Hillsborough families is not repeated, published on 1 November 2017 (HC 511).

Lord Sharpe of Epsom: The points of learning in the Bishop’s report made for the Government span a number of departments and organisations and the Home Office is coordinating the Government’s overarching response to his report. Whilst the timing of the Government’s response has been impacted by the need to avoid risk of prejudice during the Hillsborough criminal proceedings, work has been underway within the relevant departments and organisations to carefully consider and address those points of learning directed at the Government. The Government is committed to engaging with the Hillsborough families prior to publication of its full response in due course.

Metropolitan Police: Corruption

Lord Lexden: To ask His Majesty's Government why Home Office statistics on corruption in the Metropolitan Police are lower than those disclosed by the Metropolitan Police Commissioner; and what steps they are taking to bring them into line.

Lord Sharpe of Epsom: The Home Office collects and publishes data on public complaints and conduct matters. Data is published on an annual basis and the latest publication, which can be found on GOV.UK covered cases finalised in the year ending 31 March 2022.A user guide accompanying these statistics can be found on GOV.UK, explaining the scope of these statistics, how this information has been gathered and differences to other published sources of information about the police discipline system.These statistics are designated as ‘experimental statistics’ to acknowledge that they should be interpreted with caution and that further development is currently taking place. The Home Office will continue to work with Professional Standards Departments within police forces and users of the statistics to improve the quality of these data, increase transparency and provide more detailed published statistics in the future.

Migrant Workers: Exploitation

Lord Hylton: To ask His Majesty's Government what steps theyare taking (1) to address, and (2) to prevent, cases in the UK of (a) forced labour, (b) people trafficking, and (c) exploitation of domestic workers from overseas countries.

Lord Sharpe of Epsom: The Government is committed to tackling all forms of modern slavery and through the Modern Slavery Act 2015, we have given law enforcement agencies the tools to tackle modern slavery, including maximum life sentences for perpetrators and enhanced protection for victims. Modern slavery is a complex crime that requires an end-to-end response both nationally and internationally – and that is why we are investing in a multi-agency approach across a range of activities, which include: Setting up a Modern Slavery Fund in 2016 to reduce modern slavery in the UK and overseas. Between 2016 and March 2022, £32.6m of Official Development Assistance has been invested, including in projects to strengthen law enforcement responses; protect victims from re-trafficking; and prevent people from being trafficked from countries where high numbers of people are trafficked to the UK;Introducing, in 2016, tools to tackle businesses who repeatedly or recklessly commit labour market offences and expanding the role and remit of the Gangmasters and Labour Abuse Authority in 2017, giving specially trained officers new police powers to prevent, detect and investigate serious labour exploitation across the entire economy. The Government spends £33 million a year on state enforcement of employment rights;Supporting the police to improve the national response to modern slavery and organised immigration crime through £16.5m of funding since 2016, to the Modern Slavery and Organised Immigration Crime Unit to provide a bespoke intelligence hub, improved training and regional operational coordinators to support individual police forces;Cracking down on county lines gangs who are exploiting children. This includes up to £5m to fund specialist support provided by Catch22 for under 25s who are criminally exploited and trafficked through county lines in specific areas;Investing in research into what works to prevent slavery, as well as assessing risks of modern slavery in policy development, to ensure that opportunities for exploitation are minimised; andDesigning the Immigration Rules governing our Overseas Domestic Worker route to prevent the importation of exploitative practices to the UK.

Restoration and Renewal Client Board

Palace of Westminster: Repairs and Maintenance

Lord Forsyth of Drumlean: To ask the Senior Deputy Speaker what is the total expenditure on Restoration and Renewal to date; and whether he can provide a breakdown on how it has been allocated.

Lord Gardiner of Kimble: The Parliamentary Works Sponsor Body and Restoration and Renewal Delivery Authority were established in April and May 2020 respectively. From their establishment until the end of March 2022, those bodies spent £216.5m on the Restoration and Renewal Programme (this includes £5m of costs in April 2020 before the Delivery Authority was formally incorporated). A breakdown is provided in the table below.The total forecast spend for the current financial year (2022-23) is £80m for the Delivery Authority and £7m for the Sponsor Body/R&R Client Team (the Client Team having taken over the sponsor function for the programme from the Sponsor Body on 1 January 2023).Both the Sponsor Body and Delivery Authority routinely published information on costs, for instance in quarterly reports, annual reports, and memoranda provided to the Parliamentary Works Estimates Commission. This transparency will continue under the R&R Client Team.Expenditure on the Restoration and Renewal Programme Spend area Total spend in 2020-21 and 2021-22 (£m) Sponsor Body costs 26.5 Palace of Westminster Design 56.1 House of Lords Decant 9.6 Heritage Collections Decant 2.4 Programme Management 40.7 Delivery Authority Corporate Functions 23.2 Data and Digital 55.4 Non-cash adjustments and central provisions 2.6 Total 216.5These figures do not include House of Lords staff costs or costs of parliamentary scrutiny of R&R through committees or in the House.

Department for Culture, Media and Sport

Tourism: Marketing

Lord Bourne of Aberystwyth: To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to promote domestic holidays within the UK.

Lord Parkinson of Whitley Bay: His Majesty’s Government recognises the importance of tourism and the value, as well as enjoyment, brought by the promotion of domestic holidays. As set out in the Tourism Recovery Plan, the Government is committed to recovering the pre-pandemic volume and expenditure of domestic visitors, and to ensuring that the benefits of tourism are spread to every part of the UK.Tourism is a devolved matter: VisitEngland, VisitWales and VisitScotland therefore have responsibility for supporting the domestic visitor economy in their respective parts of the country. VisitBritain promotes the United Kingdom as a whole, and the Government works alongside it to promote the UK as a tourist destination, both domestically and internationally.The Department for Culture, Media and Sport funds the British Tourism Association, which comprises VisitEngland and VisitBritain, by around £27 million per annum, of which VisitEngland receives c. £7 million. VisitEngland helps promote the UK as a tourist destination domestically through marketing campaigns such as its £5 million, UK-wide ‘Escape the Everyday’ campaign, which ran in 2022. This highlighted the quality destinations, visitor attractions, and experiences on offer across the UK’s cities, countryside, and coast to boost domestic tourism.VisitEngland promotes year-round tourism experiences, encouraging a regional and seasonal variety highlighting lesser-visited areas. The Government has supported tourism through a variety of nationwide events in recent months such as the Commonwealth Games, and will continue with events across the UK in 2023 such as the Coronation of His Majesty The King and Eurovision, and is planning for Bradford’s year as City of Culture in 2025.

The Senior Deputy Speaker

Palace of Westminster: Repairs and Maintenance

Lord Robathan: To ask the Senior Deputy Speaker,  further to the Written Answer by Lord Gardiner of Kimble on 30 January (HL4799), what training is given to the traffic marshals; how long is the duration of the training; what qualifications they are required to possess; and what legal authority they have to direct and stop traffic.

Lord Gardiner of Kimble: Traffic marshals require specialist training specific to their role. As a minimum, the Parliamentary Marshal team has National Plant Operators Registration Scheme (NPORS) Vehicle Banksman Training.Training includes a minimum of one day practical (on-site) training and additional classroom training. All candidates are required to complete the NPORS health and safety test and assessment. On successful completion candidates are issued with a NPORS Operators’ Card which is valid for five years.Some Marshals, including those who are supervisors or managers, have chosen to gain additional qualifications. These include:The Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents Vehicle MarshalConstruction Plant Competence Scheme Plant and Vehicle Marshal A73The Traffic Marshals direct vehicles and pedestrians on the Parliamentary estate to minimise the potential for incidents and to mitigate risk identified within the traffic management risk assessments. The team do not have legal authority to stop vehicles.

Parliamentary Estate: Roads

Lord Hayward: To ask the Senior Deputy Speaker how many road traffic accidents occurred on the Parliamentary Estate in each of the last five calendar years resulting in an injury to a person; and for each accident (1) what was the severity of the incident, and (2) on what date it occurred.

Lord Gardiner of Kimble: In the last five years there have been three accident reports which are detailed below. The three incidents resulted in injury. ‘Near misses’ and incidents without injury have not been included.The total number of reported injuries should be considered in the context of lower vehicle and pedestrian numbers as a result of COVID-19 restrictions in the five-year period. Incident Date Injury Type Detailed Description 07 February 2022 Other Injury Injured person was exiting through the exit blocker at Carriage Gates and hit by lowering security barrier 07 March 2022 Fracture Car accidently reversed over person’s foot 06 September 2022 Minor bruising As the vehicle proceeded to drive off vehicle reversed over person’s foot, causing pain and minor bruising